Scoring a 230 on USMLE

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ASU_Devil

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I am just wondering how hard is it score a 230 on Step 1. I know there is no correlation, but is a 230 like scoring a 30 on the MCAT or a 45. I am just curious to see how hard it will be to do well on the USMLE. Thanks in advance.

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ASU_Devil said:
I am just wondering how hard is it score a 230 on Step 1. I know there is no correlation, but is a 230 like scoring a 30 on the MCAT or a 45. I am just curious to see how hard it will be to do well on the USMLE. Thanks in advance.

More like 30. Definitely not a 45 (which would be >265, at least).

It's been a while since I did MCAT though, so my estimation of difficult of 45 might be off. I would say >40 would be like > 255 or > 260.
 
i was 33 mcat and scored 245 on both step I and II. I dont think they correlate that well though. Its not the same kind of test.

the only real correlation is "are you a good test taker"... r u calm, do u study effectively, r u disciplined leading up to the test.

NJMS rulz!
 
There's certainly a correlation, but don't think of your MCAT score as determining your destiny or anything like that. I, for one, did below average on my MCAT, struggled first year, was average second year, and did much better than my norm on Step I.

In short, don't worry about what correlates where because there are many, many exceptions to the rule. Just study and work hard.


cheers :)
 
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Zweihander said:
There's certainly a correlation, but don't think of your MCAT score as determining your destiny or anything like that. I, for one, did below average on my MCAT, struggled first year, was average second year, and did much better than my norm on Step I.

In short, don't worry about what correlates where because there are many, many exceptions to the rule. Just study and work hard.


cheers :)

He got a 235!

hihi :p
 
Thanks for all your responses guys. I was just trying to figure out how hard it will be to do well on that exam. I scored a 32 on the MCAT, but I studied a lot. I am hoping if I also study for the USMLE, I will do just as well. So is a 32 on the MCAT, kind of like a 230 on the USMLE.
 
ASU_Devil said:
Thanks for all your responses guys. I was just trying to figure out how hard it will be to do well on that exam. I scored a 32 on the MCAT, but I studied a lot. I am hoping if I also study for the USMLE, I will do just as well. So is a 32 on the MCAT, kind of like a 230 on the USMLE.
Honestly, I don't really know but if I had to guess I'd say a 30 on the MCAT is more like a 220 or so on the Step I. Average tends to be around 215, and 220 is considered a solid score that you can be proud of, but nothing particularly stellar. Many residencies set their cutoffs higher than 220 -- it can be as high as 240 if you're trying to do derm or neurosurg, for instance.

This is all conjecture, of course.
 
Keep in mind that a 30 on the MCAT may look impressive but that score is based on a statistical analysis that includes people that were NOT accepted into medical school. Also, some people just don't try hard for the MCAT because they already have a solid gpa. Step 1 requires much more studying because it is more knowledge based than MCAT. Yet, it still tests reasoning and problem solving via 2nd and 3rd level questions.

A better correlation is the average MCAT of students that were accepted into medical school. Which I believe is a 30. Thus, a 30 MCAT is more likely a 217-220.

Interestingly, there is a nice article in Academic Medicine that correlates one's biological science MCAT subscore to Step 1, and verbal reasoning subscore to Step 2 scores.

Actually, Step 1 average last year was a 216 with a SD of 24. Thus, a 230 is more like a 72-74 percentile of all test takers.
 
Thanks for all the responses guys. I guess that makes sense, that since the average marticulant has an MCAT of 30, and the average USMLE is 220. They are about the same difficulty.
 
p53 said:
Actually, Step 1 average last year was a 216 with a SD of 24. Thus, a 230 is more like a 72-74 percentile of all test takers.

Well if that is the case, then an MCAT score of 30 would correlate better w/ a USMLE score of 230 since a 30 on the MCAT is generally around the 75th percentile.... However, it is certainly not easy to relate how one performs on the MCAT with their aptitude for the USMLE. For one thing, the ppl taking Step 1 had an average MCAT score of 29-30 (they got into med school after all, didn't they :) ). So on one hand it would be logical to say that an average MCAT score for med school matriculants would correlate with an average USMLE score. But as far as percentiles go, it's a different story. A significant proportion of MCAT takers will never step foot into medical school, whereas the great majority of those who sit for the boards will become physicians. It is also important to consider the emphasis that different types of med students place on the exam. Many ppl are content to receive just any passing score because their interests lie in fields of medicine that may not typically place much emphasis/value on high board scores. For highly competitive fields, however, the Step 1 score is quite often the very first thing they look at when assessing applicants.
 
the mcat has 1/3 of the test dedicated to how well you can read a random passage and answer a bunch of question about it.

i know several students who made 26,27,&28 on the MCAT and scored above 230.

if i were you, i would forget about my mcat score, and don't count on it to get you anything for the STEP. scoring a 230 is very possible, but that is only if you throw everything out the window, and study your tail off for the step itself.

the mcat is a stupid, stupid test that doesn't tell you anything. i have a couple of friends who scraped by on that thing, and are doing very well in medical school, nbme shelf's etc.
 
p53,

Do you have a reference for the Academic Medicine articles you mention?

I did a quick MedLine search, but couldn't find anything, and I'd really like to read those articles.

Thanks!
 
Zweihander said:
a 30 on the MCAT is more like a 220 or so on the Step I.

I don't think you can do this at all. The MCAT is a test of standard knowledge, whereas the mle (especially step I) performance is a reflection of how boards-directed the teaching at your school is
 
idq1i said:
I don't think you can do this at all. The MCAT is a test of standard knowledge, whereas the mle (especially step I) performance is a reflection of how boards-directed the teaching at your school is
You're absolutely right. By saying a 220 might be equivalent to a 30 I'm not arguing a correlation between grades and the intelligence of the test taker. What I'm suggesting is that residencies might be viewing a 220 in the same way medical schools viewed a 30. I'm not wed to the exact accuracy of my claim, but as far as rough estimates go it's a reasonable one, no?
 
Zweihander said:
You're absolutely right. By saying a 220 might be equivalent to a 30 I'm not arguing a correlation between grades and the intelligence of the test taker. What I'm suggesting is that residencies might be viewing a 220 in the same way medical schools viewed a 30. I'm not wed to the exact accuracy of my claim, but as far as rough estimates go it's a reasonable one, no?

I see... It's a reasonable point
 
I doubt you would be able to score a 5 on the Verbal reasoning section based on this reply. Pull out a biostatistics book and look at a Z score of .583 ~ 72 percentle. Thus a 230 (Z score = .583) is 72 percentile for all test takers for USMLE Step 1 for 2005.

Also, one of my arguments is that the people that are not in medical school deflated the MCAT average. Thus, a 30 is more like a 216 since a 30 is the average MCAT for entering medical students.

IDIOT! :rolleyes:

Fusion said:
Well if that is the case, then an MCAT score of 30 would correlate better w/ a USMLE score of 230 since a 30 on the MCAT is generally around the 75th percentile.... However, it is certainly not easy to relate how one performs on the MCAT with their aptitude for the USMLE. For one thing, the ppl taking Step 1 had an average MCAT score of 29-30 (they got into med school after all, didn't they :) ). So on one hand it would be logical to say that an average MCAT score for med school matriculants would correlate with an average USMLE score. But as far as percentiles go, it's a different story. A significant proportion of MCAT takers will never step foot into medical school, whereas the great majority of those who sit for the boards will become physicians. It is also important to consider the emphasis that different types of med students place on the exam. Many ppl are content to receive just any passing score because their interests lie in fields of medicine that may not typically place much emphasis/value on high board scores. For highly competitive fields, however, the Step 1 score is quite often the very first thing they look at when assessing applicants.
 
all schools are different. all students are different.

Try asking around for the most recent class averages for Step 1 at your school. Since you have had the same basic science training as these people you should be able to gauge your performance based on that of the upperclassmen.
This can be helpful because you will know some of these people personally and can form a better opinion of what it takes for a person in your position with the education received at your school to make a certain score.

This has been posted before, but I think it's good for the crystal ball factor.
http://www.medfriends.org/step1_estimator/
 
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